Collaborative, Participatory & Empowerment Evaluation
David Fetterman, PhD (he/him/his)
President and Professor
Fetterman & Associates
HADLEY, Massachusetts, United States
Location: White River Ballroom F
Abstract Information: Ted Talks are invited opportunities to "shine a light" on a problem, provide insight into disciplinary inquiry, and call people to action. It is an excellent opportunity to help a larger population learn about evaluation, its need, the scope of fields it addresses, and its relevance to our political, economic, and social problems. Deconstructing the process will help other evaluators learn how to apply for the opportunity, prepare for the review process, and prepare for the actual presentation. It is both an art and a science. The skills learned from this workshop can be applied to conducting a Ted Talk and presenting our approaches, findings, and recommendations in our own evaluations. Dr. Fetterman has delivered a TedTalk and can provide insights from his experience at every stage, from application to critique and practice to presentation. (See TedTalk.)
Relevance Statement: Evaluators must find novel ways to communicate their findings to larger populations and have a role in policy decision-making. One way to influence a concerned and educated citizenry is YouTube, specifically Ted Talks. Ted Talks require us to reduce our findings to the critical need to know insights and understandings. In addition, Ted Talks require us to learn how to perform or communicate our work (including our approaches) to a larger body or population. If we are to maintain our relevance and exposure we need to "market" our work more effectively. A Ted Talk is a way to extend our boundaries of influence and force us to communicate more clearly in a medium used more than at any other time - the digital universe.